Things Worth Knowing
by hmweasley
Summary: A collection of ficlets about the professors of Hogwarts. 4: Hagrid hurries to make it to Aragog and Mosag before their first children are born. 5: Pomona's not entirely ready for retirement. 6: Filius is excited to start Hogwarts, but he's sad to leave his twin sister behind. 7: A brokenhearted Hagrid gets advice from an unnoticed portrait.
1. Breakthrough (MinervaIrma)

**A/N: Written for Women's History task 8: "** **Write about someone making an important discovering." This is Minerva/Irma. Word count: 478**

 **Breakthrough**

Minerva was nearly vibrating from excitement as she hurried through the halls of Hogwarts. Thankfully, it was the middle of July, so no students were around to see her frantic footsteps as she hurried in the direction of the library.

The summer holidays were the only time of year she could find room in her schedule for her personal experiments. It was a shame. She loved teaching with all her heart, but she also loved learning more about Transfiguration than what could be found in books. She was only paid to do one of the two, but she couldn't stop herself from the other when she found the time.

Irma was right where Minerva had expected her to be. No students meant a massive reorganization of the library each summer. Every single book would be pulled from the shelves, checked for damage, catalogued, and then returned. Any missing books would be noted. The undertaking was so large that several house elves signed on to help each year, and it was Irma's busiest season.

Minerva sidestepped an elf who was carrying a stack of books taller than he was as she searched for Irma. She finally found her towards the back of the library, flicking through a thick volume with a faint frown that hinted it might have faced a bit of damage over the previous school year.

"I've had a breakthrough," Minerva announced.

She didn't bother to keep her voice down. There were no students to disturb, and Irma herself had to shout instructions to the elves every so often.

"Breakthrough?" Irma asked, glancing up from the book.

Her faint frown had turned into a grin.

"Really? I thought you were giving up on that."

"I was until this morning. It hit me over breakfast."

Irma's smile turned self-congratulatory.

"Didn't I say that all you needed was a break?"

"Yes, yes," Minerva said with a wave of her hand.

She stepped forward to place a quick, placating kiss on Irma's lips.

"I should listen to you more often," she allowed. "But listen to this."

She held up the parchment that was covered with writing, most of which had been crossed out at various times over the past couple of weeks. It was such a mess that Irma couldn't have made sense of it no matter how long she tried, but Minerva read it easily enough.

"That's where I was going wrong," she concluded, pointing towards the ink that was still drying. "It's a wonder I didn't think of it before."

Irma hummed along, though she hardly understood what Minerva was going on about. Her excitement was infectious all the same, and Irma let her continue as she flipped through the book, looking for further damage.

Eventually, Minerva would be finished, and then Irma could start in on the egregious way some students saw fit to treat her books.


	2. I Can't Guarantee Anything (Wilhelmina)

**A/N: This was written for the Chocolate Frog Cards Club on the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum. I'm using the bronze Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank card where the challenge was to write about Wilhelmina.**

 **This this was almost explicitly romantic Wilhelmina/Poppy though that wasn't working quite right for me, so in the end, it's more friendship, but if you want to interpret it as romantic, be my guest.**

 **Word count: 342**

 **I Can't Guarantee Anything**

Wilhelmina glanced around the hospital wing as she waited for Poppy to return with her supplies, trying to find something that could entertain her. She flexed her left hand, flinching as she felt the sting, but she would survive it. Scratches were a normal part of life when you worked with magical creatures, even scratches that were deep enough to need professional medical attention.

She'd have to take it easy with her hand for a few days, but she was sure it would be back to normal quickly.

Poppy hurried back into the room carrying her usual tray of supplies.

"Hold still," the nurse muttered, using the same soft but commanding tone that Wilhelmina was sure she used with the students.

Whenever she had to visit Poppy, she felt like she was back in school. Though the matron of the Hospital Wing when she'd been a student had been far more severe than Poppy. Wilhelmina nearly shuttered at the thought of the old woman.

"Take this."

Poppy handed her a phial, and Wilhelmina downed it in one gulp without asking questions. She shuddered as it went down. When she was done wincing, she noticed Poppy was watching her with amusement.

"That was much easier than it usually is," she remarked before she set to work wrapping bandages around Wilhelmina's hand.

Wilhelmina shrugged.

"I've done this enough to know there's no use arguing. Besides, it's not like you could give me any potion I couldn't handle."

Poppy grinned, releasing her hand as she finished dressing the wound.

"I'm sure I couldn't," she said. "Now, you're all fixed up and free to go. Do try not to end up in my Hospital Wing again, won't you?"

Wilhelmina flexed her hand as she stood from the bed she'd perched herself on. Heading for the door, she tossed a grin over her shoulder.

"I can't guarantee anything in my line of work."

She chuckled to herself as she heard Poppy angrily muttering about recklessness behind her. Her next injury was sure to be a fun one.


	3. New Traditions (Hagrid)

Hagrid bounded towards the boathouse. Being expelled from Hogwarts had been the worst day of his life, but in his time since becoming gamekeeper, he'd found many happy things to occupy his time and his thoughts.

Soon, it would be September 1st, his first as gamekeeper, and that meant he had the newly instated privilege of escorting the first years across the lake. It had been an idea that hit him as he was walking around the grounds one day and realized that the view of the castle from the lake was unmatched. He wished that view had been his first of his new home. It had been a shock to realize that he could give that to future students.

Convincing Headmaster Dippet to agree with him had been easy with Dumbledore on his side.

The factor that had been working the hardest against him was the number of boats that would be needed to get the students across the lake. What had once been little more than a small shack had been expanded into a boathouse large enough for a fleet of canoes. Opening the door to it, Hagrid admired the boats, taking in the still pungent wood smell that filled the air.

He stepped inside and abruptly bashed his head against several oars hanging from the ceiling. Rubbing at his skull, he pushed them out of the way. He needed to find a better way to store those, as it would be impossible for him to hunch over low enough to avoid them. Why the house elves had thought putting them there was a good idea escaped him, but then again, they wouldn't have thought much about the height.

Even with the expansion on the boathouse, there wasn't much space between the racks of canoes. Hagrid tried to squeeze between a rack and the wall when his back banged into something g hanging on the wall. He cringed as the sound of several anchors crashing to the ground filled the boathouse.

He would need to fix that too. There had to be a better way to store the canoes. One that let him maneuver around them without creating a mess.

Pulling one of the canoes off its rack, he used it as a shield as he maneuvered back out the door and to the water. A thrill went through him as he looked at the canoe floating in the lake.

It was only then that he thought about how small the canoe was in comparison to his body. He frowned at it. He'd had several growth spurts over the past several years, and he was still learning what his limits were in certain respects. But surely he could fit in a canoe. The bench looked wide enough.

He placed one foot in the boat. It seemed okay. Stepping into the boat, his heart raced as it began to sink. He scrambled back onto the deck, staring at the water pooled at the bottom of the canoe as it bobbed up and down.

Shaking off the water on his boot, Hagrid pulled the canoe from the lake, drenching himself in the process.

The frown on his face was hard to get rid of as he stored the canoe back in the boathouse.

If he was going to escort the first years across the lake, none of the canoes they'd bought would do the trick. They'd need one at least twice their size. Possibly bigger if Hagrid kept growing. But it had been difficult to convince Dippet to buy the canoes to begin with. Hagrid couldn't imagine asking for a special one for himself.

With a sigh, he inspected one of the dry canoes in the boathouse, trying to picture how it had been made. Perhaps it wasn't too difficult. There was probably wood in the Forbidden Forest that would do the trick. He only had a couple of weeks in which to complete it, but he could do it if he worked hard. Hopefully.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Obviously, Hagrid isn't a professor at the time this takes place, but I've decided that I'm going to collect ficlets about professors at various times in their life, even if they weren't a professor when the story is set.**

 **The one obvious exception to that is Remus, since I also have the collection for the Marauders. Neville has also wound up in one of my other collections, since I don't immediately think "professor" with him, but he'll be in here at times too.**

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments:**

Seasonal Challenges - Days of the Year: National Comic Book Day - (prompt set) boom, bash, crash, bang

Seasonal Challenges - Autumn Prompts: (word) break

Word count: 665


	4. Spider Babies (Hagrid and Aragog)

Hagrid hurried through the Forbidden Forest, his heart pounding. If he missed the birth of Aragog's children, he wasn't sure what he'd do with himself. It had been a wonder to find Mosag and convince her to come join Aragog. She'd nearly eaten him alive, and Hagrid knew the only reason she hadn't was because his promise of a mate was so enthralling to an acromantula who had been unlucky with the colony of her birth.

Animals rustled the leaves as Hagrid passed, but he didn't let himself stop to see what creatures they were. It would be too easy for him to become distracted, especially if any of them needed assistance. Pausing for even a few seconds could be the difference between arriving before Mosag gave birth and not.

He coughed, his throat parched from his run. If he'd had time, he would have brought water along, but he didn't let his thirst deter him from his mission.

The padding of webs around the trees alerted Hagrid to his proximity. He travelled into the nest, stumbling only a few times as his limbs caught on the sticky material.

Aragog's body language was entirely unlike a human's, but Hagrid could detect the way the acromantula was happy to see him as he approached.

"Hagrid," Aragog said fondly. "You've arrived in time."

He stepped slightly to the side, allowing Hagrid to see Mosag hovering above her eggs.

"They are hatching," she said.

If she were capable of smiling, Hagrid was sure she would be. He crept closer, craning his neck to look at the eggs. There was nothing different about them, but he believed that Aragog and Mosag could sense the change coming.

One egg began to crack open, and Hagrid gasped, his eyes stinging with tears. He reached out to place a hand on Aragog's side as they watched the new acromantulas enter the world.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Fortnightly Challenge - Princess Lessons: Snow White - (trait) animal lover

Word count: 315


	5. All Good Things Must End (Pomona)

Pomona stepped outside of the greenhouse to admire the setting sun, her hands on her hips. She couldn't help but sigh as she observed the honey-coloured sky that was intensely familiar to her. Though she could watch the sun set from anywhere in Britain, it would never be the same away from Hogwarts. The castle amplified the beauty of the natural phenomenon as the light reflected off the stone.

When she'd first decided to retire, a large part of her had looked forward to returning to her hometown. She'd maintained a garden there since she was a child, and her mother was becoming too old to take care of it while Pomona was at Hogwarts. It made sense that she would return home to look after not only the garden but her aging parents.

The sting of leaving the castle that had long been her home hadn't come until the day of her departure was near. Knowing that each class was her last with her students had hurt immensely, even as they had rejoiced over the upcoming summer holidays. She tried to feel the same excitement they did. Her endless free time would provide her with many opportunities to grow new and exciting plants that she could never have included in the Hogwarts curriculum. She wouldn't be the first herbologist to take up their wildest experimentation upon retirement. Her successor had done the same and made the discovery of his career in the process.

She turned her back on the sunset to walk amongst the greenhouses, peeking into each of them to make sure the plants were safe and sound. There were few plants left who had been there before she had, but there weren't better hands to leave them in than those of Neville Longbottom. Truthfully, she couldn't have been convinced to retire if he hadn't accepted the job.

The latest batch of mandrakes were still in their adolescence. She wouldn't see them as adults unless she made a trip back to the castle just for it, and she couldn't hang over Neville's shoulder as if she didn't trust him. She had to say goodbye for good.

As she looked at plant after plant, she made mental notes of what to warn Neville about. The Venomous Tentacula was in need of a trim, and one of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia plants could be moody at times. The Wiggentree she'd planted as a young professor had been looking poorly lately, so she had to make sure that Neville knew to check in with it frequently. She'd be beside herself if they lost it because she'd forgotten to say anything.

Eventually, she accepted that she'd looked over the plants as much as was possible. They were safe and sound in the greenhouses, ready for their new caretaker to arrive the next day.

It was time for Pomona to accept her coming departure as easily as the plants had. Everyone had to retire eventually, and she wasn't saying goodbye to herbology entirely. There was plenty for her to do.

Leaving the students was the part she was avoiding thinking about the most, but she had counseled many a student over the years that leaving Hogwarts was just the beginning of their lives. She'd meant it, even as she had mourned them leaving. She had to accept the same thing for herself.

Teaching would always be close to her heart, but it wasn't the only part of her. There were so many aspects of herbology left to explore, and she would set upon them with gusto as soon as she had left the Hogwarts greenhouses in Neville's hands.

She could weather the change.

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: World Teacher's Day - write about a canon professor

Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Prompts: (theme) change

Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Colours: honey

Word count: 609


	6. Filius and Filia

**Content notice: implications of past violence**

* * *

One moment Filius was quietly writing a letter to his gran, and the next he was singing to himself as his quill formed the letters. He didn't notice it was happening. Music had been such a strong part of his life that he often didn't need to. The notes would come to him without him being conscious of them, and he'd sing until he noticed others watching him.

He may not have noticed that he was singing, but he did notice when his sister Filia joined in. Filius froze in writing his letter, looking over to where she sat across the room.

She was smiling softly at him as she hit a note that he had no hope of reaching himself despite his voice not having dropped yet. After his slight pause of surprise, Filius had no choice but to finish off the song with her, their voices blending together in a flawless way that only came from having sung together their whole lives.

There had never been a time when he hadn't harmonized with Filia, and he very much hoped there would never be a time when he didn't. Once, a year ago, he had thought she might never sing again, and that had been more heartbreaking than the scars that had been etched into her skin.

As the song came to a close, Filia's smile waned, and her eyes took on the familiar coldness that they did when she thought of the world outside their own small haven. She hadn't left their house in nearly a year; Filius tried not to think about it.

"Filius, please don't leave for Hogwarts," she urged, leaning forward and gripping her hands together in her lap.

"Filia," he said with a sigh, though his voice was fond. "I have to. It's the best way to learn magic. I'd be learning Charms from the greatest master in Britain. I have to go."

"But we'll be split apart." Tears had begun to affect her voice. "I won't be able to see you for most of the year."

"You can come with me."

Even before he'd spoken the words, he'd known they'd be as useless as they'd been in the past. Filia froze, her eyes widening, as she imagined such a horrific—to her—solution to their problem.

"No," she growled. "I shall be schooled at home by Mum. One of us has a realistic sense of self-preservation. I'll stay where no one wants to harm us."

She pointed to the scars on her face as if Filius needed a reminder that they were there. In truth, he did often forget. They'd become just another part of her, and he didn't always think of their horrifying origins when he saw them. He didn't think the same was true for Filia, who carried the memories of that day with her always.

"Most people aren't like that," Filius said in a shaky voice, mimicking what their parents had been telling them since the day of the incident. "Plenty of people may dislike goblins, but they don't want to harm us."

"Plenty of people," Filia mocked. "Everyone hates goblins, Filius, and we're undeniably part goblin. Look at us." She motioned between them to emphasize her words. "Maybe they won't hurt you physically, but no one at that school wants you to succeed. At least here Mum and Dad will do everything in their power to actually help us learn."

They would. Filius was certain of that. He had few qualms about the quality of education Filia would receive, but it still wouldn't be a Hogwarts education, accompanied by the respect such a thing received in the wizarding world. He needed that respect if he had any hope of achieving his dreams; his dreams that only Filia, his twin and confidante in everything, knew of.

Filius stood and moved to sit beside Filia, taking her hand in his own. He willed her to see why he had no choice but to go to the castle where some, at the very least, would be hostile.

"Many might want to see me fail," he admitted, "but that will only drive me to work harder. Perhaps I can change minds, Filia. Imagine that. If I work hard enough, they'll see what someone who's part goblin can do. I want to try."

She offered him a small smile, and though he knew she would never consent to attending Hogwarts herself, he thought that she might finally have accepted that he was going. She couldn't stop him, no matter how much his heart yearned to have her by his side always. The world had never known one of them without the other, and Filius knew the greatest struggle of Hogwarts, even beyond the prejudice he would face, would be facing the world without Filia there.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Prompts: Filius Flitwick

Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Astronomy: Geminids Meteor Shower - (relationship) twins

Button Bonanza: blue - time

Word count: 799


	7. Learning from the Past (Hagrid & Rowena)

**Content notice: bullying**

* * *

Rubeus's heart hammered in his chest as he stared into the warm brown eyes of the girl standing across from him in the corridor. Serenity had always been nice to him while the others mocked him for his size and booming voice. Perhaps she didn't sit with him at dinner or in class, preferring the company of her close friends, but at least she said hello to him. She'd even agreed to speak to him in private despite her friends laughing at his request. Rubeus couldn't stop his heart from racing or his stomach from fluttering whenever she was near.

He held out the wildflowers he'd spent an hour picking from the grounds. He was too mesmerized by her presence to realize that he'd crushed the stems, making them droop over his hand.

His gaze was intent on Serenity as her eyes fell to the flowers, eyeing them like one might a bouquet of misshapen mushrooms.

"Will you go to Hosgmeade with me?" Rubeus blurted out before he lost his nerve.

Though he'd gotten better at controlling the volume of his voice to avoid scaring the other students, his nerves made the words boom out of him with force. Serenity took a step back, her eyes widening as she realized why he'd wanted to speak to her.

Her usually kind face morphed into one full of the same venom that the other students often shot at him. His face fell before her words hit him.

"Why would I go out with someone like _you_?"

She scowled at him for only a second before stalking away with a shudder. Rubeus slumped against the wall and let the wildflowers slip from his hand to scatter across the floor. He blinked back tears, Serenity's rejection stinging him in a way the other students' insults had long ago ceased to.

"Well, I'd say! Never in all my years have I seen such behavior. How unbecoming of a lady!"

Rubeus looked up from the flowers, but he didn't see anyone in the corridor. He swiveled his head around until he caught sight of a portrait sitting quite high up on the wall. Rubeus had never noticed her before, though he'd be the first to admit that he didn't pay the portraits much attention. Her robes were the same shade of blue and bronze as the crests the Ravenclaws wore, and Rubeus wondered if she was a previous Head of House who'd been lucky enough to have herself immortalized on Hogwarts' walls.

Rubeus blinked at her, not saying a word. Some of the portraits were nastier to him than the students, but this woman's rage appeared to be directed solely at Serenity.

"In my day, women knew how to be tactful," she ranted, nodding along with her own words.

She was sitting at a desk and had begun tapping the quill she was holding against the tabletop, leaving ink stains that Rubeus could see from the floor below.

"Don't think I'm entirely stuck in the past," she continued, levelling Rubeus with a glare that dared him to make that very accusation. "I've welcomed many of the changes I've seen over the years, especially in regards to women. My own times could be quite stifling, and I've seen more than my fair share of outlandish developments. Like corsets. _How_ those girls put up with that I'll never be able to understand. I was glad to see that trend go."

She shuddered at the memory.

"But at least in the past we knew how to turn down an offer gently when it was made with respect," she concluded, placing a hand against her chest.

"Um," Hagrid muttered, feeling like he was supposed to respond but not knowing what to say. "When were you alive exactly? Were you a Ravenclaw?"

The woman smiled as if he'd made a joke, but she didn't laugh at him like he was used to.

"I am indeed a Ravenclaw, young man," she said.

He felt a little more confident after receiving her kind smile.

"I've been on this wall for a long time," she said. "You begin to forget how long it's been. After a while, people forget what you looked like, even as your name becomes legend."

Rubeus's mouth dropped open.

"Are you Rowena Ravenclaw?" he breathed.

Though the woman didn't answer the question, her smile didn't falter.

"Don't let others defeat you," she said instead.

Hagrid deflated at the reminder of what had transpired. Glancing at the floor, he was reminded of the flowers and gave one a well-aimed kick.

"That's easy for you to say," he muttered, not looking at her. "You're one of the most famous witches in history. No one would make fun of you."

"Don't be quick to judge," she said, her voice stern but no less kind than before. "I lived in a different time. Few people believed a woman should be starting a magic school. Even once Helga and I convinced Godric and Salazar to join us, many malicious words were tossed my way. But I didn't let that stop me. You shouldn't either."

Rubeus stared at her in astonishment and slowly nodded.

"Thank you," he said earnestly.

He began to hurry away but paused a few steps down the corridor to turn back towards her.

"I'll come talk to you again," he promised. "I won't forget your portrait like everyone else has."

Setting off for his common room, he fully intended to keep that promise. It wasn't until the next morning that he realized he didn't remember where he'd been. Not a single trace of wilting wildflowers remained in the corridors.


End file.
